The Green Team

• Aug. 8, 2008 - More of the Beauty of the DR's Southern Coral Reefs

If you enjoyed our recent set of photos about the beauty of the Dominican Republic's reefs along the south coast, you're in for a treat. Thor, the fellow who provided those pictures, has kindly offered more. Thanks, Thor!

We again urge people who have pictures of the DR's natural beauty (or its environmental problems) to share them with the world through this blog. Maybe that way we can better sensitize everyone to how much there is to protect in the DR, and how much work is needed to better protect it. You can contact us via greenteam[AT]dr1[DOT]com

All these pictures were taken on a reef near Boca Chica and Guayacanes. Click on each to see a larger, sharper version. Note: All are copyrighted by Thor, used here with his expressed permission. You need his permission to copy/reuse them.

Reef Colors

More Colorful Coral

Moon Jellyfish

Sea Fan

Spotted Moray Eel

Stingray in the Sand

The Stingray Moves

Tube Sponges and Star Coral

Sponge

Web Burrfish

Pilar Coral

Atlantic Spadefish

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• Jul. 23, 2008 - Seeing the Light?

This week President Fernández launched with much fanfare the Lightbulb Substitution Program (Programa de Sustitución de Bombillas - PSB), which seeks to replace 10 million incandescent lightbulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescents (CFLs) in 840,000 Domincian homes.

Three million of the CFLs will be the 18-watts variety (equivalent to 75 watt incandescent bulbs) given out in the barrios that received subsidized power under the Reduced Blackout Program (Programa de Reducción de Apagones - PRA). The rest (7 million) will be the 14-watt variety (equivalent to 60 watt incandescent bulbs) given out in PRA sectors.

The program will cost US$18,542,720 -- or about US1.85 per bulb, around the unit price I would find for a four-bulb pack in a Home Depot in the US. Not bad, although when you purchase mass quantities this large, I would expect substantial discounts. I wonder where the government got the bulbs (I'm guessing China made them, but who managed the imports?) and what they paid for them on a per unit basis?

The Government's Rationale

Executive Vice President of the Dominican Corporation of State Electrical Enterprises (Corporación Dominicana de Empresas Eléctricas Estatales - CDEEE), Radhamés Segura, portrayed this as a win-win-win for consumers, power distributors and the Government. Once implemented this program will collectively save 354 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually, worth about two billion pesos to consumers. Since electricity distributors say that they have average power losses of 34%, in order to provide consumers with 354 million kw/hr they would have to purchase 580 million kw/hr, so they end out saving US$84-85 million annually. As for the government, since 70% of power generation in the country comes from burning hydrocarbons, the government will save US$57-58 million a year from its oil import bill. [He neglected to mention the savings the Government might have from lower power subsidies it will pay to cover the PRA barrios.]

Interesting to me was the notable lack of discussion of this program's possible impact on the DR's carbon footprint. I guess concern about climate change is still limited to the Environment Ministry and not so much CDEEE.

Or maybe it's just that Segura hasn't learned to toss in the language of climate change whenever possible (yes, I'm implying that many governments have started claiming that nearly everything they do can help combat global climate change, whether the claim has any basis in reality or not).

Does Massive CFL Substitution Make Sense?

Do CFLs save as much as advertised, and can have positive environmental benefits? Well, generally speaking, yes, as the popular video below explains "in plain English."

But there are several important caveats.

The Mercury Question

The first issue is one mentioned in the video: the mercury contained in these lamps. Yes, CFLs (like their cousins, the traditional tubular fluorescent lamps) contain mercury, an ecotoxic substance dangerous to human health.

But unlike the urban legend that you will read widely on internet (that a broken CFL -- usually supposedly broken by a housewife in Maine in most versions I've seen -- cost US$2,000 to clean up properly), individual CFLs do not contain much mercury. CFLs have far less mercury in them than do the fluorescent tubes that have been used for decades -- about 5 milligrams. As a point of comparison, that old fashioned thermometer you may still have around the house has 500 milligrams. Individually CFLs are not a significant health or waste risk. The "protective gear" needed to clean up a broken CFL may be little more than the Playtex gloves some ladies use when washing dishes.

Where CFLs may pose a problem is when there is massive improper disposal of very large quantities of them, so that tiny amount of mercury will become sizable in the aggregate. When a country such as the DR screws in 10 million CFLs at the same time, at some point in the future (9 years for average CFLs, assuming three hours of usage a day) there's going to be 10 million needing proper disposal.

There's the rub! The DR, like much of the Caribbean and Central America, does not have adequate handling and disposal infrastructure for hazardous wastes and no collection system to speak of for "universal" wastes (products with hazardous materials that we use commonly in the home and/or office in small quantities that, at end of product life and in the aggregate, become an environmental problem if not properly handled, treated and recovered or disposed).

Will the DR have such waste management infrastructure in place once that time comes? I hear claims from the Fernandez Administration that the DR will, but then again, I heard similar promises from officials in the first Fernandez Administration 10 years ago, and that waste infrastructure has yet to materialize. So I can't help but be skeptical.

Then There's the Energy "Savings"...

CFLs are certainly more energy efficient than the incandescent bulbs, and in theory can save everyone energy (and therefore money). But that's only if you actually cut your consumption. If the energy saved by the CFLs is simply replaced by consumption elsewhere (whether we're talking elsewhere in the home or elsewhere on the power grid), then no net energy savings result (and many of the actors will not have net budgetary savings either).

Maybe that is the true underlying rationale for this program -- to ease household demand and/or redirect supply?

The point being, without a concerted effort to get power users to actually keep in check their non-lighting electricity usage, any environmental (and budgetary) gains from this program soon may be negated. (Not to mention the cost of setting up proper disposal systems for the new problem possibly created in the longer term.)

This is particularly true for large consumers -- and for that matter, public offices themselves. Does the DR government itself purchase only equipment -- computers, air conditioners, photocopiers, refrigerators, etc. -- that is Energy Star certified or of equivalent or better energy efficiency standards?

And one last thought: check again that 34% power loss figure by Segura, the man who must know such things. That figure is higher than the loss figure in the 20's of just a few years ago, and even that one was considered by experts as abnormally high. It dwarfs any savings the PSB may bring.

The loss figure has been far too high for decades now. How much energy could have been saved, how many barrels of imported oil saved, how many (household, industry, tourism, distributor, government) budget dollars/pesos could have been saved, how many hydrocarbon burning plants would not have proved necessary, how many fewer hours of blackouts might there have been?

Sure, screwing in new light bulbs is easier, may have more energy savings per dollar spent than other measures, makes for nice photo ops and may personalize the energy savings issue for the average citizen.

But the country might benefit far more if that 34% loss figure was halved or more. Does the country have to wait 10 more years for that too?
_________________________

From the Press Office of the Presidency:

Presidente Fernández inicia cambio de 10 millones de bombillas

El presidente Leonel Fernández puso en ejecución este lunes el Programa de Sustitución de Bombillas (PSB) con el cual se cambiarán 10 millones de bombillos para beneficiar en todo el país a 840 mil hogares, con una inversión de 18 millones, 542 mil 720 dólares.

El primer mandatario, acompañado del vicepresidente ejecutivo de la Corporación Dominicana de Empresas Eléctricas Estatales (CDEEE), ingeniero Radhamés Segura, cambió los bombillos incandescentes por bombillas fluorescentes, durante un acto realizado en el Centro de Operaciones de esta institución.

El ingeniero Segura dijo que con la aplicación de este programa los usuarios tendrán un ahorro anual de 2 mil millones de pesos y que en la sustitución de las bombillas de 60 y 75 watts que son las que se usan actualmente en los hogares, en potencia sería de 46 y 75 vatios, respectivamente, para una economía al año de 354 millones de kilovatios por hora.

Informó que con el PSB, en la primera etapa en los sectores del Programa de Reducción de Apagones se cambiarían unos 3 millones de bombillas de 18 vatios, y 7 millones de bombillos de 14 vatios en una segunda etapa en las zonas denominadas No PRA.

El gobierno tendría un ahorro de 13 millones, 401 mil 699.92 millones de dólares al año, según contempla del Programa de Sustitución de Bombillas, iniciado por el presidente Fernández.

En lo que tiene que ver con las distribuidoras de Electricidad, indicó que asumiendo que las pérdidas totales de estas sean de 34 por ciento, y que para poder suplir 354 kilovatios por hora que se van a tener que dejar de suministrar, estas compañías habían tenido que comprar 580 kilovatios por hora, lo que equivale a un ahorro de 84 ó 85 millones de dólares anuales, tomando en cuenta el precio a que se compra la energía a los generadores.

El funcionario dijo que en cuanto a la importación de combustibles, la CDEEE economizaría de 57 ó 58 millones de dolares al año, si se toma en consideración que de los parques energéticos del país el 70 por ciento usa carburantes.

“Este programa beneficia al consumidor, beneficia a las distribuidoras y beneficia al Gobierno”, aseguró el vicepresidente ejecutivo de la CDEEE.

Explicó que de manera implícita, en cuanto a la disminución de las pérdidas las distribuidoras tienen con este programa un ahorro de 20 millones de dólares al año.

Segura dijo que esta fue una de las promesas que el presidente de la República hizo durante su discurso del pasado jueves y que a sólo tres días ha cumplido con lo prometido ante la población.

Estuvieron presentes el superintendente de Electricidad, Francisco Méndez, el secretario de industria y Comercio, Melanio Paredes; el director del PRA, Antonio Herrera, quien pronunció las palabras de bienvenida, Rafael Melanio de HEGEID, Pedro Peña Rubio, de la CDEEE, entre otros.

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• Jul. 20, 2008 - Does the DR Need its Own Smokey Bear?

If you lived any time at all in the US, you doubtless have heard/seen and remember well (maybe even fondly) the public service ads (PSAs) of the character "Smokey Bear" (some say "Smokey the Bear") telling you in that deep baritone of his, that only YOU, Joe Citizen, can prevent forest fires (nowadays he says "wildfires" instead of forest fires).

Those ads were effective, making people very aware that most forest fires are caused by humans and thus preventable.

The Need to Get the Word Out

Why am I discussing Smokey on a DR-related blog?

Because the DR's Environment Secretariat (SEMARENA) has just warned of the start of the second forest fire season of the year (the first -- and worst -- time of year for fires is February-April, click on chart at right for a month-to-month tally of fires over a recent 15-year period). They ask the public to report any fires they spot (809-533-5183, extension 224, or if calling from the interior, 809-4300, ext. 286).

But for SEMARENA to truly get the word out, they need to do far more than publish a note on their website (many Dominicans do not have access to the internet, and among those that do, only a very limited number visit SEMARENA's site). They should at least publish PSAs in all the local newspapers and magazines -- although most Dominicans do not read either type of publications.

No, they should be peppering the airwaves -- putting out PSAs on TV and radio as much and as often as possible.

I've checked with many people (both Dominican and expat) I know across the DR (not just those in Santo Domingo) and no one recalls reading, hearing or viewing a fire prevention PSA now, or anytime recently for that matter. If the Ministry has been informing the Dominican people about the dangers of wildfires and the need to report them, they haven't done so very effectively.

Why does getting the general public involved matter?

Well, for one, the DR does not yet have enough rangers (yes, they exist) and fire watchtowers (yes, they're being built) yet to do the job alone. But even if they had as well-equipped a force as the US does, they still would need the help and vigilance of John Q. Public just as the US Forest Service and state forest services do.

A Dominican farmer
practicing slash-and-burn

Which is linked to reason #2. Studies done for the Ministry find that only 3% of the DR's are from natural causes (principally lightning strikes). The rest are man-made. Chief among these are slash-and-burn agriculture, which alone accounts for some 85% of fires. Another 5% are from human carelessness (discarded matches or cigarettes, unextinguished campfires or bonfires, etc.) and 5% are caused intentionally (arson).

Which means most are, in theory at least, preventable. It takes a good (and constant and consistent) dose of public education, awareness and vigilance. Even with that humans likely will remain the principal cuase of fires, but the number of fires and their impact can be substantially reduced.

At right is an example of the Ministry's past PSA. Not bad, but is the bird as spokesperson as effective as Smokey? I suspect not.

I'm not advocating that the DR adopt a bear as fire prevention spokesperson. A bear doesn't seem appropriate for a tropical island nation. But somehow a bird doesn't seem appropriate for firefighting.

What should the symbol be for the DR? I'm afraid I don't have the marketing mindset or expertise to answer that. But maybe one of our readers has a good idea they can share (comments to this post welcome - scroll down).

In the US, the Smokey PSAs were developed through cooperation between government agencies and a private nonprofit entity known as the Ad Council. The latter provides volunteer talent from ad agencies and media firms. The Council has been reponsible for a number of successful PSA campaigns, such as the crying Indian (anti-litter), the Test Crash Dummies ("You Can Learn Alot from a Dummy" - about auto safety), McGruff the Crime Dog ("Take a Bite Out of Crime"), "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk," and "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste" (for the United Negro College Fund).

If there's one thing the DR has quite alot of for a small island nation, it's ad, marketing and media firms. Why can't that talent pool be tapped -- asked to help, or to take the initiative on their own, for the greater good of the country so many of them profess to love? Why not form their own version of the Ad Council, and start with a fire prevention campaign (I would also love to see a concerted, creative and effective anti-litter campaign, but that's a discussion for another day).

I have voiced this idea to many of my friends residing in the DR, and nearly all say the Dominican media sector will never take on such a challenge pro bono -- that they only care if there's cash in it for them. Are all Dominican businesspeople so mercenary and shortsighted? What about the boost to their reputation from designing a well-known, well-respected PSA, and the new business that enhanced rep brings?

Why It Matters

While these days the DR has far fewer wildfires than they did in the 1960s (see chart at right), the numbers have been rising in recent years. More importantly, the amount of acerage affected has increased. [The blue bars in the graph represent number of fires reported, and the line of plotted points the area affected.]

Stopping and reversing the resurgence of wildfires is important for several reasons beyond just protecting the safety of people and the habitats of wildlife in the affected areas. For one, the fires can bring serious setbacks to the DR's efforts to check and turn back deforestation and soil degradation and to improve watershed management. Yes, much of the underbrush will regrow, as will the trees eventually -- but it will take years and in the process lots of erosion can occur.

Second, there is the massive amounts of carbon released by burning the trees and scorching the soil, contributing to global climate change.

Third, there is the air pollution created. In some cases, this even can be funneled into the upper atmosphere and be transported into other regions -- a recent NASA study showed that fires in Mesoamerica had environmental impacts in the US.

Fourth, there is the threat to the very areas where the DR is trying to develop its nascient eco-tourism sector. Check out the Ministry's map of the "zones of major incidence" for wildfires (click on image to see a larger version). The major zones are indicated in pink; note that the biggest one overlays several of the country's most importance national parks and reserves, including the route up to Pico Duarte.

With that last thought I'll close with some photos provided by DR1 board participant Formosano, taken on his hike up to Pico Duarte a couple of years ago after the last big fire that passed through the route.

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• Jul. 19, 2008 - The Beauty of the DR's Southern Reefs

As we noted in our last entry on reefs, 2008 is the International Year of the Reef, and the DR has some beautiful reefs well worth protecting that are confronting some serious stress.

Why should you care about reefs? Two years ago we did a series which explored why they are important, what the specific pressures DR reefs are facing, what you can do to help, and what are recommended good, reef-friendly practice (in Spanish) for divers and snorkelers (you can get the English versions of the guidelines here). You really should read up on the issue!

In the meantime, let these pictures help make the case. All of these were kindly provided by a DR1 board participant, Thor ("tht"). He says that they were taken at a reef not far from Boca Chica on the south coast. Click on each if you want to see a larger version. Beautiful photos, Thor!

If anyone else has reef photos from around the DR that they would like to share, We would love them! Please contact us via greenteam[AT]dr1[DOT]com

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• Jul. 16, 2008 - Come Hike With Me

The Dominican Republic is also known as DR. It’s a land of great potential and resources, held back from first world status by itself.

What does that mean? To me, it means the country is handicapped by politicians, profiteers (foreign and domestic) and a generally undereducated populace.

To some, DR is a land of opportunity, to others, it’s a place to party unencumbered by rules for the most part.

My emotions on the DR change almost daily from being discouraged and cynical to wondering why more people don’t see the all encompassing beauty and potential that I see. The fact that I’m still here after so many years proves that my love for the country has won out. I may live out the rest of my days here or maybe not.

But before I leave, I want to take you on a short journey to see the country as I see it. Life is but a series of journeys with a “hoped for” destination. Most people have a destination in mind, but I don’t. I want to enjoy each day, see new things, wonder how this was all created and what will happen to it after I’m gone.

Come hang with me and my friends and we will show you DR from our eyes, the good we talk about, the bad we complain about and the ugly we want to change.

I recently took a weekend trip to the mountains with a dozen or so friends. The focus of the mini vacation was to relax, get more in touch with nature and have a good time.

Woke up, sat up in bed, kicked the mosquito net away and took in the view. Sorry for the poor picture quality, I was sleepy. The coast line is obscured by the natural wood rail but hope you get the idea.

We decided to take a little walk, turns out it was about four miles but what a way to spend a day. We went over the hill, through the dell and past grandma’s house.

Some of our intrepid group
at the beginning of the journey

While my favorite color is blue, how can a person not love green? I enjoy taking drives, but a hike puts you in nature at its best.

Little did we know what was ahead, but we’re on a mission of discovery.

The pavement soon gave way to the trail.

But the trail soon opened up to a view of the country.

One gorgeous view after another.

We found a river and decided to follow it to some falls one of our group had heard about.

What a great hike through a river bed and along sheer cliffs.

After what seemed an eternity, we arrived. I could easily believe we were among the first gringos to visit this remote location. Way off the beaten track of the tours sold by AI (all inclusive) resorts.

This is part of the real DR. One of the places you can dream of visiting but never find unless you take the first step.

We will take a lot more “first steps” in order to share more with you.

-- AlaninDR

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• Jul. 10, 2008 - Visitor Centers for Parks (including Pico Duarte)

Synopsis in English: The Environment Secretariat (SEMARENA) recently inaugurated 16 "infrastructure works" (primarily visitor centers) in three national parks (Armando Bermúdez, José del Carmen Ramírez, Valle Nuevo) and the Ébano Verde Scientific Reserve, key components of the so-called Madre de las Aguas ("Mother of Waters") Conservation Zone (see map below). The adjoining Armando Bermúdez and José del Carmen Ramírez National Parks cover the approaches and area around Pico Duarte (Duarte Peak), the Caribbean's highest point (nicknamed "The Roof of the Caribbean") and popular hiking destination.

The 16 works were the fruit of the project supported by Germany, Management and Conservation of Natural Resources of the Upper Yaque River Basin (PROCARYN).

Several of the works inaugurated involved visitors centers, some complete with bathrooms, showers, multi-use rooms and campgrounds.
_________________________
From the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat (SEMARENA):

Medio Ambiente inaugura 16 infraestructuras para visitantes del Pico Duarte y de Madre de las Aguas

Las comunidades cercanas a los parques Armando Bermúdez, José del Carmen Ramírez, Valle Nuevo y Nalga de Maco y la Reserva Científica de Ébano Verde se benefician de las obras, valoradas en RD$39 millones

La Secretaría de Estado de Medioambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARENA) y la Embajada de Alemania, a través de la Agencia de Cooperación Alemana (GTZ), inauguraron dieciséis (16) obras de infraestructura construidas a través del Proyecto “Manejo y Conservación de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca Alta del Río Yaque del Norte (PROCARYN)”.

Estas obras, ubicadas en una parte del área de conservación Madre de las Aguas, se levantaron en los parques nacionales Armando Bermúdez, José del Carmen Ramírez, Valle Nuevo y en la Reserva Científica Ébano Verde.

Source: The Nature Conservancy

El área de conservación Madre de las Aguas es un conjunto de cinco parques nacionales y una reserva científica de la Cordillera Central. Agrupa los parques nacionales Armando Bermúdez, Juan B. Pérez Rancier (Valle Nuevo), José del Carmen Ramírez, Eugenio de Jesús Marcano (Humeadora) y Nalga de Maco, así como la Reserva Científica Ébano Verde.

"La conservación y desarrollo sostenible de Madre de las Aguas es estratégica, porque allí se concentra la mayor biodiversidad de las 29 islas del Caribe, el pico más alto de la región (Pico Duarte), el valle más alto (Valle Nuevo) y los ríos que abastecen a los acueductos que suplen el 80% de agua del país y de Haití", indicó Ramírez.

El área, que representa aproximadamente el 5% de la tierra de la República Dominicana, debe su nombre a que en ella nacen casi todos los ríos de La Hispaniola y suministra agua a casi el 80% de la población de la República Dominicana y a la mayor parte de Haití.

Madre de las Aguas es el tema central que el país presenta desde el 14 de junio hasta el 14 de septiembre en la ExpoZaragoza, la exposición internacional que durará tres meses en España y que hace un llamado mundial a la conservación y uso sostenible del agua. La inauguración de las obras se enmarca en las acciones de promoción de conservación de Medio Ambiente por este conjunto de áreas protegidas.

Acto

El acto inaugural, realizado en la entrada al Parque Nacional Armando Bermúdez de la Ciénaga de Manabao en Jarabacoa, estuvo presidido por el Secretario de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Omar Ramírez Tejada, quien estuvo acompañado de Daneris Santana, subsecretario de Áreas Protegidas y Biodiversidad; Humberto Checo, director Ejecutivo de PROCARYN, Santos Mena, presidente de la Asociación de Guías Turísticos de Manabao, Arturo Plasencia, representante del Comité de Rescate de la Cuenca Alta del Yaque del Norte, Jesús Moreno, de la Fundación Loma Quita Espuela, Ricardo García, director del Jardín Botánico y el sacerdote Yony Durán, de la Parroquia del Carmen, de Jarabacoa.

También participaron Jesús Galván, director del Plan Cordillera y miembro del Consejo Directivo de PROCARYN, Librael Guzmán, presidente de GAIA (empresa que ganó la licitación entre 49 propuestas para diseñar y construir las casetas), José Ángeles, presidente de la Fundación Progressio, José Antonio Nova, del CONIAF y representantes del Consejo Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Yaque del Norte (CORECAY).

Mejor servicio, mejor época de visita

La principal obra que se inauguró el sábado 5 de julio es un centro de información para visitantes, acondicionado con baños, energía eléctrica, salones multiusos y espacios para acampar. El centro incluye las oficinas administrativas del parque y está dividido en dos niveles. Las infraestructuras, en su mayoría casetas para visitantes, mejoran la calidad de los servicios de la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente al público que las visita.

La Ciénaga, en Manabao, es el principal punto de acceso al Pico Duarte, de los tres que llevan a él. Cada año, principalmente en las últimas semanas de diciembre y el mes de enero, miles de personas realizan esta excursión, que toma mínimo cuatro días.

De acuerdo con los guardaparques de la zona, es una falsa creencia que el final de año es la mejor época para visitar el pico Duarte, pues otros meses del año son propicios. En las últimas semanas, por ejemplo, el tiempo ha estado en excelentes condiciones, sin lluvia, lo que permite recorrer el camino con más facilidad y apreciar mejor el paisaje.

El primer nivel del centro de información posee un salón de proyecciones, sala de paneles interpretativos, salón multiuso para la comunidad, espacio para artesanías y objetos vinculados a la identidad nacional; recepción, una galería perimetral y rampas para discapacitados.

El segundo nivel posee una batería de baños, las áreas de limpieza, un área multiusos y de esparcimiento, con bancos en todo el perímetro.

El secretario de Medio Ambiente enfatizó que uno de los principales objetivos de las obras es mejorar las condiciones de vida y trabajo de los guardaparques. "Los guardaparques son los próceres vivos del siglo XXI", dijo Ramírez Tejada reconociendo la labor de quienes dedican su vida a la protección y cuidado de las áreas protegidas.

Entre los planes de Medio Ambiente se encuentran diseñar un curriculum para capacitar a los guardaparques y a los guías, identificar a los guías y remodelar la Escuela Nacional Forestal (ESNAFOR), ubicada en Jarabacoa, para que ambos grupos reciban capacitación.

Centros ecológicos

Las obras se construyeron según criterios de conservación y vínculos con las comunidades que exige la administración de parques nacionales, cuidando aspectos ambientales y de operacionalidad: disponibilidad de agua, manejo de deshechos fluidos y sólidos, cuidar el impacto negativo en la vida silvestre y el paisaje.

También se involucraron los administradores, guardabosques y representantes comunitarios en la preparación y ejecución de las infraestructuras para lograr una adaptación práctica de los diseños a usos multifacéticos (control y vigilancia, uso público, capacitaciones); asimismo, el uso de materiales de construcción ambientalmente amigables y duraderos y el equipamiento adecuado y funcional de las infraestructuras.

Por último se aseguró, que para dar mantenimiento a las infraestructuras se involucren a organizaciones locales en un manejo co-ejecutivo y se capacite al personal de las áreas protegidas, guías y grupos comunitarios.

Inversiones

La construcción de infraestructuras es una medida financiera en el marco de la Fase 2 del Proyecto de Manejo y Conservación de los Recursos Naturales de la Cuenca Alta del Río Yaque del Norte (PROCARYN), denominada "Fortalecimiento de la Gestión de Áreas Protegidas con Influencia en la Cuenca Alta del Río Yaque del Norte", que inició en 2005.

En vista de que las infraestructuras de administración, protección y uso público y el equipamiento de las cuatro áreas protegidas se encontraban en estado de deterioro, y en algunos casos no existían, resultaba más difícil enfrentar la presión alta de las comunidades aledañas con actividades ilícitas en las zonas núcleos, por lo que la creación de estas infraestructuras no solo son un avance en lo relativo a la proyección de nuestros recursos naturales como fuente de divisas y de valoración del país, sino también una vía legítima y justa para ayudar al desarrollo de las comunidades a partir de la desvinculación de sus comunitarios de acciones dolosas.

SEMARENA y PROCARYN elaboraron una propuesta de inversiones en infraestructura y equipamiento para las cuatro áreas protegidas considerando los criterios de la Unión Mundial para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN), y los objetivos de cada área protegida según la categoría de su manejo respectivamente.

Las casetas para control y vigilancia, que completan las 16 obras y están valoradas en RD$39 millones, son infraestructuras ligeras caracterizadas por la disposición de áreas modulares, las cuales facilitan el buen desenvolvimiento dentro y fuera de las construcciones.

Se construyeron 14 casetas que están ubicadas en

Mata Grande
La Ciénaga
Alto de la Rosa
La Compartición
Los Tablones
Loma del Copey
Los Fríos
Bohechío
Los Rodríguez
Tembladera
Poza Prieta
La Libería
Las Espinas
Pajón Blanco

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• Jul. 10, 2008 - The Challenge Land Degradation Poses for the DR

I must admit that in the past I paid too little attention to the issue of land degradation. I won't bore you with the explanations and excuses as to why, just suffice it to say that it was not high enough on my list of priority environment issues.

From what I've read in a report* just released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), that needs to change. The report also causes me to wonder how much and what kind of attention the DR has given to this issue.

The report is part of FAO's Global Assessment of Land Degradation and Improvement (LADA), funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and produced using remote sensing data with the help of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The report defines land degradation as "a long-term decline in ecosystem function and productivity and measured in terms of net primary productivity" (NPP). NPP in turn is defined as "the rate at which vegetation fixes CO2 from the atmosphere less losses through respiration."

Yes, land degradation does affect greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change. It also ties intimately into agricultural and forestry production and water supply.

What the Report Says

Why do I think the report shows a need for me (and all of us concerned about the DR's environment) to get up-to-speed on the issue?

37.98% and 43.43%.

The first percentage is the fraction of the DR's area (18,507 km2) that the FAO deems to be degraded, the second is the portion of the Dominican population (3.84 million) affected by the degradation. The estimated NPP loss is 560,541 metric tons of fixed carbon over 23 years.

By the way, the nation that the DR shares the island with, Haiti, has 42.60% of its land area degraded, but that affects a smaller percentage of its population (34.56%). Its estimated NPP loss is 383,261 mT.

Some of the key findings of the FAO report:

Land degradation is cumulative. A 1991 assessment indicated that 15% of the land surface was degraded; the 24% identified by the present assessment hardly overlaps. This implies that land degradation over the past 23 years has mainly affected new areas; while some areas of historical land degradation have been so severely affected that they are now stable at stubbornly low levels of productivity.
Almost 20 per cent of degrading land is cropland - more than 20% of all cultivated areas; 24% is broadleaved forest, 19% needle-leaved forests, 20-25% rangeland. Cropland occupies only 12% of the land area, so degradation is over-represented in cropland globally.
Some 16% of the land area shows an increase in climate-adjusted net primary productivity. 18% of the improving land is cropland (20% of the total croplands), 23% is forest and 43% rangeland.
There is only a weak correlation with biophysical factors other than land cover: 78% of degrading land is in humid regions, 8% in the dry sub-humid, 9% in the semi-arid, and 5% in arid and hyper-arid regions. There is no obvious relationship between degrading land and the nature of soil or terrain – degradation is driven mainly by management [emphasis ours]. [Some may try to argue that the DR's land is degraded because so much of it -- 70% -- is rated as arid or semi-arid. This report suggests that may be a cop-out.]

What has the DR Done?

Actually, to be honest, more than many of their neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Doesn't mean it's enough, but at least they have been active.

The principal international instrument for cooperation and action on this issue has the unfortunate title (because it focuses more on aridness) of the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The UNCCD was concluded in 1994 and the DR ratified it in 1997 (during Leonel's first term as President). The DR formed an Inter-Institutional Technical Group (known by its Spanish acronym, GTI) to oversee its implementation that consists of government agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and local representatives of key international organizations and the Canadian and German aid agencies. The government also submitted three implementation reports (the last one in December 2006) to the Convention secretariat, held a series of local consultations and workshops, and developed a plan of action for the border region with Haiti (PAN-FRO). They've also set up various projects to stop deforestation and promote reforestation, better manage watersheds, and promote organic and/or "sustainable" agriculture. If you want to know the details of the activities and projects, click on the link and read the last report.

But will it be enough?

Unfortunately, it may be years before we can measure any improvement in the aggregate. But when you are already have more than one-third of your land rated as degraded, and the government itself warning (in that last report) that the DR may be "water stressed" and facing serious loss of biodiversity by 2025, perhaps we need to redouble the effort....

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* Bai ZG, Dent DL, Olsson L and Schaepman ME 2008. Global assessment of land degradation and improvement 1: identification by remote sensing. Report 2008/01, FAO/ISRIC
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From the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):

Land degradation on the rise

One fourth of the world’s population affected, says new study

Land degradation is intensifying in many parts of the world, according to a study using data taken over a 20-year period, FAO announced this week.

Defined as a long-term decline in ecosystem function and productivity, land degradation is increasing in severity and extent in many parts of the world, with more than 20 percent of all cultivated areas, 30 percent of forests and 10 percent of grasslands undergoing degradation.

An estimated 1.5 billion people, or a quarter of the world’s population, depend directly on land that is being degraded.

The consequences of land degradation include reduced productivity, migration, food insecurity, damage to basic resources and ecosystems, and loss of biodiversity through changes to habitats at both species and genetic levels.

“Land degradation also has important implications for climate change mitigation and adaptation, as the loss of biomass and soil organic matter releases carbon into the atmosphere and affects the quality of soil and its ability to hold water and nutrients,” notes Parviz Koohafkan, Director of FAO’s Land and Water Division.

The data indicate that despite the stated determination of 193 countries that ratified the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification of 1994, land degradation is worsening rather than improving.

Some 22 percent of degrading land is in very arid to dry-subhumid areas, while 78 percent of it is in humid regions. The study found that degradation is being driven mainly by poor land management.

Comparing with previous assessments, the present study shows that land degradation since 1991 has affected new areas; meanwhile some historically degraded areas were so severely affected that they are now stable having been abandoned or managed at low levels of productivity.

The data on global land degradation are part of a study released by FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Soil Information (ISRIC) on global land degradation entitled Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands. Funding for the study was provided by the Global Environment Facility.

Bright spots

But the news is not all bad. Bright spots were also identified in the study in cases where land is being used sustainably (19% of cropland) or is showing improved quality and productivity (10% of forests and 19% of grassland).

Many gains in cropland are associated with irrigation, but there are also swaths of improvement in rain-fed cropland and pastures in the prairies and plains of North America and western India. Some gains are a result of increasing tree cover, either through forest plantations, especially in Europe and North America, and some significant land reclamation projects, for instance in northern China. However, some of the positive trends represent woodland and bush encroachment into rangeland and farmland - which is not generally regarded as land improvement.

The study shows that land degradation remains a priority issue requiring renewed attention by individuals, communities and governments.

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Desde la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO):

Aumenta la degradación del suelo

Un cuarto de la población mundial está afectada, según un nuevo estudio

La degradación del suelo está aumentando en muchas partes del mundo, según un nuevo estudio que recoge datos de un período de 20 años hecho público hoy por la FAO.

Definida como el declive a largo plazo en la función y la productividad de un ecosistema, la degradación del suelo está aumentando en severidad y extensión en muchas partes del mundo, con más del 20 por ciento de las tierras agrícolas afectadas, el 30 por ciento de los bosques y el 10 por ciento de los pastizales.

Cerca de 1 500 millones de personas, un cuarto de la población mundial, dependen directamente de suelos sujetos a degradación.

Las consecuencias de este fenómeno incluyen una disminución de la productividad agrícola, la migración, la inseguridad alimentara, los daños a recursos y ecosistemas básicos, y la pérdida de biodiversidad debido a cambios en los hábitat tanto a nivel de las especies como a nivel genético.

“La degradación del suelo tiene también importantes implicaciones para la mitigación y la adaptación al cambio climático, ya que la pérdida de biomasa y de materia orgánica del suelo desprende carbono a la atmósfera y afecta a la calidad del suelo y a su capacidad de mantener el agua y los nutrientes”, señaló Parviz Koohafkan, responsable de la División de Tierras y Aguas de la FAO.

Los datos del estudio indican que a pesar de la determinación de los 193 países que han ratificado de la Convención de Naciones Unidas para combatir la desertización de 1994, la degradación del suelo está empeorando en vez de mejorar.

Cerca del 22 por ciento de las tierras sujetas a degradación se encuentran en zonas muy áridas o zonas subhúmedas secas, mientras que el 78 por ciento está en regiones húmedas. El estudio desvela que la principal causa de la degradación del suelo es la mala gestión de la tierra.

En comparación con evaluaciones previas, el presente estudio desvela que la degradación del suelo ha afectado a nuevas zonas desde 1991, mientras que algunas áreas muy degradadas históricamente se encuentran ahora estables tras haber sido abandonadas o explotadas con un bajo nivel de productividad.

Los datos sobre la degradación del suelo a nivel mundial son parte de un informe presentado por la FAO, el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA) e Información Mundial del Suelo (ISRIC). El estudio se denomina Evaluación de la Degradación del Suelo en Zonas áridas (LADA, por sus siglas en inglés), y cuenta con financiación de Global Environment Facility.

Buenos ejemplos

Pero las noticias no son tan malas. El estudio ha identificado una serie de lugares en donde el suelo se utiliza de forma sostenible (19 por ciento de las tierras agrícolas), o se está alcanzando mayor calidad y productividad (10 por ciento de los bosques y el 19% de los pastizales).

Muchos de los avances en tierras agrícolas están asociados con el riego, aunque también hay ejemplos de mejoras en tierras agrícolas de secano y los pastizales en las praderas de las Grandes Llanuras en Norteamérica y en India occidental. Algunas de las ganancias corresponden al incremento de la cubierta forestal, ya sea a través de plantación de bosques, en especial en Europa y Norteamérica, y algunos proyectos de bonificación de tierras, como sucede en el norte de China. Sin embargo, algunas de las iniciativas positivas se basan en la invasión por bosques y matorrales de zonas de pastos y tierras agrícolas, lo que por regla general no se considera una mejora del suelo.

El estudio demuestra que la degradación del suelo continúa siendo un asunto prioritario que requiere atención renovada por parte de los individuos, las comunidades y los gobiernos.

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• Jul. 9, 2008 - A Message to Public Servants?

Those of us with a long association with the DR can remember many past "investigations" of public officials that stretched on for months or even years and either ended inconclusively or disappeared altogether. And most were not initiated by the agency itself soon after the alleged misdeed, against sitting officials appointed by the sitting President. Most were initiated by an outside agent (such as prosecutor) and most involved a new administration investigating the alleged misdeeds of past officials from an opposing political party.

How refreshing, then, to see the DR's Environment Secretariat (SEMARENA), not only immediately initiate an investigation against some of their own, but to do so publicly and openly, with a special commission of inquiry, and in short order report back -- again public and openly -- that they were recommending specific sanctions, under both the general environment law and the law on public officials, on key people for not following proper rules and procedures.

Perhaps a signal to those involving in environmental management in the DR that it will no longer be "business as usual," bending or ignoring regulations at will?

We can only hope so.
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Desde la Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARENA):

Comisión de Medio Ambiente entrega informe del manejo interno del caso MSC Trinidad

Concluye que funcionarios de la cartera inobservaron procedimientos y artículos de las leyes de Medio Ambiente y de Administración Pública

El secretario de Estado de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Omar Ramírez Tejada, informó que la comisión que integró para investigar los procedimientos internos que siguieron los funcionarios de la institución en el caso del barco MSC Trinidad, concluyó que el manejo fue inadecuado.

Las conclusiones de la investigación, de carácter científico-técnico y jurídico, establecen que se inobservó la Ley 64-00, el Convenio Internacional Marpol 73/78 (para prevenir la contaminación por buques) y hubo vacíos de información en los niveles jerárquicos institucionales.

El informe final recomendó aplicar a los ingenieros Felipe Ditrén, director de Calidad Ambiental, y Jaime Lockward, director interino de Protección Ambiental, quienes renunciaron con antelación, las sanciones establecidas en la Ley 41-08, artículo 84, en los acápites 11 y 20; y las establecidas en la Ley 64-00 artículo 171. Para el licenciado Eladino López Agüero, encargado de supervisión de Protección Ambiental, se recomendó aplicar la sanción No. 41-08, artículo 83 (acápites 5 y 11).

Esto por encontrarse violaciones a los artículos 83 (acápites 5 y 11) y 84 (acápites 11 y 20) de la Ley 41-08 de Función Pública, que crea la Secretaría de Estado de Administración Pública. También se infringió el Artículo 171 de la Ley 64-00 sobre Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales.

Ramírez Tejada expresó que, "pese al manejo inadecuado del caso, esto se convierte en una oportunidad para reafirmar las reglamentaciones existentes y/o necesarias, tendentes al fortalecimiento de la institucionalización de nuestra Secretaría de Estado, y confirma el compromiso de estas autoridades con la nación dominicana".

El barco MSC Trinidad intentó a principios de junio descargar residuos aceitosos (conocidos como "sludge") por el puerto de Barahona.

Medio Ambiente actuó en correspondencia con la Convención Marpol 73/78, aprobada por el Congreso Nacional en noviembre de 1998 (Resolución 247-98), la cual establece normas internacionales vinculantes para prevenir la contaminación por hidrocarburos, por sustancias nocivas líquidas transportadas a granel, por sustancias perjudiciales transportadas por mar en bultos, por las aguas sucias de los buques, por las basuras de éstos y la contaminación atmosférica que ocasionan estas naves.

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